‘We Are The World’: 25th Anniversary remake
“I know that [Lionel Richie] has been asked like 150-something times to redo ‘We Are the World’ and he said no to everything until this Haiti thing happened. The moment he saw that it happened he was like, OK, ‘We Are the World.’ And to be one of the people they called to have fresh input to the song, to help produce the song – I have no words.”
-RedOne, the Moroccan-Swedish hit producer who has been asked by legendary music producer Quincy Jones and singer-songwriter Lionel Richie to help produce the remake of the 1985 classic hit “We Are The World,” which was written by Richie and Michael Jackson.
Quincy Jones (left), Lionel Richie and Rickey Minor are seen at the "We Are The World " recording session held at Jim Henson Studios, Hollywood, on Feb. 1. AP photo
The 1985 hit classic “We Are The World,” which was written by the late pop music icon Michael Jackson and singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, will be re-recorded by contemporary artists and sold to generate earthquake relief funds for Haiti, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
The artists chosen to re-record the song represent various ages, races, and musical genres, most of whom were recruited by legendary music producer Quincy Jones at the Grammys on Sunday night, according to a report by E! Online. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the list of artists includes: Haiti-born musician Wyclef Jean, Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand, Jay-Z, Celine Dion, Kanye West, Keith Urban, Tony Bennett, and the Jonas Brothers.
The following Monday, the Los Angeles Times blog “Post & Hiss” reported that most of the artists were already in the same Los Angeles studio where the original version was recorded making the new version.
“The scene on Monday, like the original session, was a fascinating mix of star confluence,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “Where else would 83-year-old Tony Bennett sing in unison with 15-year-old Justin Bieber? Emphasizing the cross-generational representation, the choir featured two Beach Boys (Brian Wilson and Al Jardine) and three Jonas Brothers (Nick, Joe and Kevin).”
“I just want to thank everyone. Haiti thanks you. The world thanks you,” Jean told the Los Angeles Times after rehearsal on Monday.
The new version of “We Are The World” will premier on February 12 during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. The original version raised $63 million dollars for famine in Africa.
Most of the information used to compile this article was published in the Christian Science Monitor article “We are the world 2010: New stars remake 80s anthem to help Haiti” on February 1, 2010. To read the full report Click Here.
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